Field
Embodiments disclosed herein relate to a modular intake manifold of a modular fluid end for multiplex plunger pumps, which are used to pump fluids into a wellbore at high volumes and high pressures.
Description of the Related Art
Multiplex plunger pumps are commonly used in the oil and gas industry and are well known in the art. These pumps include a fluid end through which fluid flows, and a power end that reciprocates a plunger within the fluid end to both draw fluid into the fluid end and discharge the fluid out of the fluid end. These pumps can pump fluids into a wellbore at rates of up to 100 barrels per minute and at pressures up to 1,000 pounds per square inch (psi).
The pressure within the fluid end changes rapidly during operation. For example, the pressure within the fluid end can change from a negative pressure when drawing fluid into the fluid end to about 1,000 psi or more when discharging the fluid out of the fluid end. The pressure fluctuation within the fluid end may occur at frequent intervals, such as about every fifth of a second for a pump operating at 300 strokes per minute. Such rapid changes in pressure within the fluid end prevent the fluid from reaching a peak flow velocity when being drawn into the fluid end, which lowers the operating efficiency of the fluid end.
The fluid ends are either monoblock or modular constructions. A modular fluid end includes two or more modules that may be clamped or otherwise joined together such that a damaged module can be replaced without having to remove or replace the entire fluid end. Fluid enters each module from an intake manifold and is discharged from each module into a discharge manifold. Conventional intake manifolds, however, are typically welded to each fluid end module, which makes disassembly and replacement of any one module more time consuming and costly.
Therefore, there exists a need for new and improved fluid ends that address one or more of the drawbacks of conventional fluid ends described above.